More Coverage

Dreams of muscle cars and a sprawling rural property ditched, the ex-girlfriend of a $6-million Chatham lottery winner is taking the battle for half the winnings straight to court.

Denise Robertson, former common-law partner of lottery winner Maurice Thibeault, filed a statement of claim in a Windsor court Monday — the latest twist in a months-long squabble over the Lotto 6/49 ticket that won half of a $12-million jackpot Sept. 20.

Ontario’s lottery regulator paid out half the $6.1 million sum to Thibeault Jan. 4, but left the other half with the courts to determine its rightful owner, said Robertson’s lawyer, Steve Pickard.

Besides $3,073,361.15 in lottery winnings, Robertson also asks the court to award $500,000 in punitive damages, alleging Thibeault “behaved with deceit, arrogance, high-handedness and a callous disregard” for her and her rights.

Thibeault and his lawyers have 20 days to respond to the statement of claim, which contains allegations not yet tested in court, with a statement of defence.

“(They’ll) say why they disagree with what we’re claiming. They can make their own claim to the money, which I imagine they will do,” Pickard said. “Then, there’s the normal litigation process that will follow now.”

A message seeking comment, left for Thibeault’s lawyer, Richard Pollock, went unreturned Tuesday.

In the court filing, Robertson claims the couple agreed to share the winnings of frequently-bought lottery tickets long before the winning ticket was bought.

“Together, they dreamed about winning the lotto,” the statement of claim alleges. “They both love muscle cars, they would each buy one and buy a large property in the county and build a large shop to work on their cars.”

Robertson maintains she and Thibeault lived together from July 2015 to September 2017. The couple often bought lottery tickets, and when she heard a Sept. 20 $6-million ticket had been sold in Chatham, Thibeault told her theirs lost, she claims.

Five days later, Robertson alleges the pair left home in the morning but that when she returned at about 3:30 p.m., after sending several unanswered texts to Thibeault during the work day, she found her former boyfriend had moved all his things out.

“Maurice had packed up and removed all of his clothes, his toiletries and most of his other personnel (sic) items and Canadian passport,” the statement of claim alleges.

Robertson later learned Thibeault had told his boss they’d broken up and he was quitting his job as an installer at a granite company, she maintains.

The text from Thibeault to his boss, an exchange detailed in the statement of claim, reads: “Denise and I are no longer together. Since I left her Monday another life-changing thing has happened. I am sad to tell you by text but I will not be coming back to work.” The text was followed by a photo of the winning ticket, the statement of claim alleges.

Pickard said it could be two to three years before the case makes it to court, he said.

Unlike other litigation, where the default option is a decision by judge alone, Pickard is asking for a jury to hear the case.